Minimum price for Alcohol in Scotland

[Bmblbzzz]

The minimum price has a different effect than raising tax or excise. It is to eliminate the cheapest alcohol, not increase the price of vintage wines or single malt whiskies.

As for the middle classes being forced to cut down, well if it has that effect, it's working.

[mercalia]

In the old days( 70's ) I would visit a friend whose dad had home brew beer and several demijars of wine on the go. I still have a boots home brew kit from a bit of experimenting I did years ago. Perhaps all of that market has faded away but it may be that it could be a worthwhile hobby for some alchohol obsessives, and you can experiment with the alchohol content I'd have thought.

Kits like this look pretty cheap once set up with the equipment. https://www.the-home-brew-shop.co.uk/acatalog/Coopers_40_pint_English_Bitter_Beer_Kit.html

If someone needs alchohol they'll find the extra money to buy it by forfeiting food or heating.

yes I shared a flat long time ago with such a person - he made some Vermouth - tasted rather good, made a gallon of it

[old_windbag]

tasted rather good, made a gallon of it

It's time for a revival. A good gift for christmas!

It was a popular hobby 40yrs ago to the extent that big high street shops had sections dedicated to it and there were several shops where I lived solely selling kits and equipment........ bit like the vaping shops of today I suppose.

[meic]

The minimum price has a different effect than raising tax or excise. It is to eliminate the cheapest alcohol, not increase the price of vintage wines or single malt whiskies.

As for the middle classes being forced to cut down, well if it has that effect, it's working.

I really do not think that it will affect the middleclass much, the stuff that they buy will be above this price already.
A possible effect will be the lowering of the alcohol content of many common cheap drinks in order to keep the price low (which we have seen in the past due to duty rates, Merrydown cider moved from 11% to 7.5% for such a reason).
Which would be yet another success for the policy.

[Tangled Metal]

So supermarkets am be forced to sell cheap alcohol that's dirt cheap for a bit more this increasing b their margins. Hmmm! It's this about lining the pockets of supermarket barons?

[meic]

The only one of my drinks that this would change is this.
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/Products.htm?articleId=314
It would leap from 70p a can to £1.25 a can. It wouldnt change how I drink at all because I like it and I pay the £1.25 on a regular basis for other drinks that I have as regular alternatives.
So if it happened in Wales, no change to my alcohol consumption, possibly a loss for that particular company and a small loss to my pocket which wouldnt concern me at all.

[PH]

This is only £3.50 at wilko whats all the fuss about.

looks better if you put it in a fancy bottle

[old_windbag]

looks better if you put it in a fancy bottle

And in both cases can be drunk in the traditional manner of hiding within a brown paper bag*


*maybe an urban myth but that image comes from america not allowing, I think, either advertising or images of alchohol drinking on tv..... but may be a myth as is most of life.

The smell of meths at school was very nice indeed and as kids we made a distillery in a friends garden that actually produced flammable( yes! ) spirit from very low grade beverage . Inspired by the dukes of hazzard.

[Cyril Haearn]

tasted rather good, made a gallon of it

It's time for a revival. A good gift for christmas!

It was a popular hobby 40yrs ago to the extent that big high street shops had sections dedicated to it and there were several shops where I lived solely selling kits and equipment........ bit like the vaping shops of today I suppose.

I remember home-brewing too, is it less popular now, if so why?
I gave up alcohol nearly 28 years ago (smug)

[old_windbag]

is it less popular now, if so why?

Cirrhosis killed it off .

[Audax67]

France has this sort of levy for as long as I can remember. The proceeds go to the health service. This thing here, that you see on top of a bottle of plonk, is the tax-paid seal.



Of course, the destination of the Scots levy will probably remain unspecified.

[kwackers]

The proceeds go to the health service.

I've never understood the whole 'destination' for taxes thing. It's just money, it gets divided up.
It's a "sales" gimmick to sell the tax.

As a zero sum game even if that money physically moved to the health service they'd reduce other money coming in to compensate.

[meic]

In the Scottish case.

The move is not a tax or duty increase. It is a price hike for the cheapest drink, with any extra cash going to the retailer.

[Mick F]

I remember home-brewing too, is it less popular now, if so why?

We made loads of wine many years ago, it was the only way we could afford wine.

1ltr supermarket apple juice
1Kg sugar
1 tsp wine yeast
Warm water.
Two demijohns and airlock
Warm airing cupboard.

Pour in the AJ and empty the sugar into a DJ and half fill with warm water and add a teaspoon of wine yeast.
Shake the DJ until the sugar is dissolved.
Put the airlock on and place it in a warm airing cupboard.
Wait a few days until the vigorous fermentation ceases and top up with warm water to the neck.
Maybe two weeks later when the bubbles in the airlock have almost stopped - could be three weeks - rack off into another DJ leaving the muck behind.
Repeat the racking as the wine clears. Repeat as necessary. Maybe a week until crystal clear.
Don't bother bottling it, just pour it into a jug and let it breathe, then drink it.
You should get about five bottles-worth from the original one gallon.

Makes a very quaffable white wine, about 15% abv.
We were doing a DJ a week generally - sometimes two to build up a stock - and tried orange juice wine too. Excellent wines, and highly recommended.

[Bmblbzzz]

In the Scottish case.

The move is not a tax or duty increase. It is a price hike for the cheapest drink, with any extra cash going to the retailer.

I suppose what they could have done would have been to increase the duty to the equivalent of 50p per unit. That would avoid all the charges of shop profiteering.